Congo: Een Geschiedenis -

The "Congo Free State" under Leopold II, marked by the brutal ivory and rubber trades.

New and used copies of "Congo: een geschiedenis" are frequently listed on Amazon and eBay . Congo: een geschiedenis

The "Congo Crisis" following independence, including the death of Patrice Lumumba. The "Congo Free State" under Leopold II, marked

By late 2012, the Dutch version alone had sold over 300,000 copies . By late 2012, the Dutch version alone had

The book won numerous prestigious awards, including the J. Greshoff Prize (2010) and the AKO Literature Prize (2010).

The author interweaves his own family's history—his father worked as a railway engineer in the Congo shortly after independence—with the broader national narrative. Chapter Structure

It covers the region’s history from prehistory to 2010, with a major focus on the brutal 19th-century colonization by King Leopold II , the subsequent Belgian colonial era, the struggle for independence, and the turbulent rule of Mobutu Sese Seko .